No Matter the Distance
by Bumblebee93
Summary: She knew she loved him. She just hadn't realized how much. Now that he wasn't there right by her side, she realized how different life would be. This was that point where their lives went off in two different directions. The toughest challenge they'll ever face. Will they be able to make it work?


_**What's this? Two stories in one day? Could it be true? Yes! It is! :) Enjoy this you guys! **_

_**Disclaimer: Don't Own Degrassi. :( Darn. **_

_**Don't own "Come Back Be Here" by Taylor Swift either.**_

_**Clare-**_

_**You said it in a simple way,  
4 AM, the second day,  
How strange that I don't know you at all.  
**_

They stood in the airport. Just outside the loading docks. His suitcase was packed and being loaded up onto the plane. A 4:00 flight to New York City, to his new life. By this time the next day, Eli Goldsworthy would be sleeping in a twin bed in some dormitory at NYU. He'd be all alone in a foreign place, nobody there with him.

_Eli wraps his arms around her, pulling her close. She throws her arms around his waist in response. _

_Maybe. Just Maybe. If she holds onto him, he'll stay. He pulls away for a moment, and looks into her blue eyes. The fear is evident within them. _

She knew her boyfriend could handle anything life threw him. Going to NYU would be nothing compared to all the other things he'd gone through. It would simply be another accomplishment under Eli's belt. She was afraid for herself. It seemed as though they had just gotten back together the thought of losing him nearly killed her.

_**Stumbled through the long goodbye,  
One last kiss, then catch your flight,  
Right when I was just about to fall**_

_He cups her face within his hands, leaning down to her. Their lips connect, as they share a kiss. The emotions that have been pent up inside finally escape, as the sparks fly._

_The perfect goodbye kiss. _

"It'll be thanksgiving before you know it Blue-Eyes," he murmurs breathlessly. His intense emerald eyes clash with her tear filled blue ones.

"There's phone calls, there's Facerange, there's Skype. I'm going to New York, not Mars," he adds, hoping to soothe her some. She gives him a watery smile. Trying to prove she'll be alright, the last thing she needs is for him to be worried about her.

"I'll be alright Eli. Don't worry. I want you to go to NYU, and I want you to kick some ass. You'll be great." Her voice cracks, and the tears begin to spill. He reaches to wipe them up, but she stops him.

"Go. I'll be alright." She whispers, giving him an encouraging smile.

He nods his head, picking up his bag. Part of him is telling him to go, but part of him is screaming that he needs to stay. NYU was his dream school, but Clare Edwards was his dream girl. They had made a pact to make the long distance thing work out. They would call each other every day. Whenever the topic had come up, she chased it away quickly. Promising they would make it work. They were all in.

"I love you Blue Eyes," he calls as he enters the loading dock. She gives him a smile waving goodbye. She bites her lip trying to fight the tears. He hands his ticket to a flight attendant before he disappears down a hallway. She waits until he's absolutely out of sight before she turns to leave.

_**I told myself don't get attached,  
But in my mind I play it back,  
Spinning faster than the plane that took you...  
**_

As she heads to her car, the sound of a plane taking off is evident. She wonders if that was Eli's plane. There was a quiet clink. At first she thought she'd dropped her car keys, but then she realized it was her heart. He was on his way to a college that was far away while she was still here stuck at Degrassi. He was on his way to living a life that didn't involve Clare much. The thought made her head spin. They were on separate paths. _  
_

_**And this is when the feeling sinks in,  
I don't wanna miss you like this,  
Come back... be here, come back... be here.**_

The moment it hits her, she begins to cry. The tears stream silently down her cheeks, as she fumbles for her car keys. As soon as she sits down in the driver's seat of her car, she breaks down. The sobs grow louder and louder, her body shakes. Head down on the steering wheel, she lets it all out. The ache in her heart does not dull

_**I guess you're in New York today,  
I don't wanna need you this way,  
Come back... be here, come back... be here.**__  
_

Nobody questioned her as she entered the house at sunrise. She had sat in her car listening to the playlist Eli had made her, for several hours. As she closed the front door, letting out a quiet sniffle, all eyes turned towards her.

Jake, who had been in the middle of breakfast dropped his spoon, Glenn looked up over the newspaper, and her mother turned away from the pancakes she'd been making. She nods her head in their direction, before dragging her exhausted body up the stairs to her bed.

_**The delicate beginning rush,  
The feeling you can know so much,  
Without knowing anything at all.  
And now that I can put this down,  
If I had known what I'd known now,  
I never would have played so nonchalant.**_

_He steps off the plane and into the unknown. People surround him, swarming about. Some talk on cellphones, while others greet old friends. He seems to be the only one who's here all alone. _

_He longs for home. He longs for Clare._

_**Taxi cabs and busy streets,  
That never bring you back to me,  
I can't help but wish you took me with you...**_

She spends the rest of the day in her bedroom. The scrapbooks she had in her book case, lay sprawled out on her bed. She smiles at the pictures. Everything leading from her first day of kindergarten to her last day of Junior Year is documented within these pages. She fingers one of her and Eli, they're at the abandoned church, lying together in a hammock. Adam had taken that one, standing above them to get a clear shot of their faces. This is one of her favorites.

She thinks about the boy who left. He was out of their tiny little town and on to bigger and better things. He'd be out on the busy streets totally on his own. She wished that she were able to fit in his suitcase. He would have been able to take her with him. What if Eli decided he liked the city more than Canada. What if he didn't want to come back.

_**And this is when the feeling sinks in,  
I don't wanna miss you like this,  
Come back... be here, come back... be here.  
I guess you're in London today,**__  
__**I don't wanna need you this way,  
Come back... be here, come back... be here.**__  
__**This is falling in love in the cruelest way,  
This is falling for you and you are worlds away.**__  
_

She knew she loved him. She just hadn't realized how much. Now that he wasn't there right by her side, she realized how different life would be. There would be no more breakfast dates, no more greetings for her at her locker. The only times she'd see him were going to be on a screen.

_**New York... be here.  
But you're in London and I break down,  
'Cause it's not fair that you're not around.  
**_

How was it fair? Just when she realized she loved him, he left. This wasn't how it was supposed to work. They were supposed to be able to go through everything together. She bit her lip fighting back tears. She knew how selfish she sounded..but he was her Eli. Not NYUs. _  
_

_**This is when the feeling sinks in,  
I don't wanna miss you like this,  
Come back... be here, come back... be here.  
I guess you're in New York today,  
And I don't wanna need you this way,  
Come back... be here, come back... be here.  
**_

Picking up a pen and paper she starts to write.

_Day 1-_

_Dear Eli, _

_I miss you. _

_**I don't wanna miss you like this.  
Come back... be here.  
Come back... be here.**_

**Question of the Chapter: Did Eli make the right decision? Would you react how Clare did?**

**Leave a review and we'll see..maybe there'll be more to come? :) **


End file.
